Collection of a urine specimen can be a cumbersome task. Most often this is due to the design of the specimen collection apparatus. During the collection process patients often unexpectedly soil themselves or do not collect a sufficient amount of urine for testing purposes. Due to anatomy, female patients face additional challenges during urine specimen collection.
Each time a female patient is asked to collect a urine specimen by using the current designed specimen cup she is subjected to getting her hands wet in the collection process. The problem exists whether the collection of urine is taken at home or in a medical facility. This unwelcome situation occurs a majority of the times for all female adults as well as for all female children. Furthermore, adults who assist children in the collection of urine specimens often experience these same issues.
Additionally, the current urine specimen bottles do not have a dual use of collection, mixing and testing in the same receptacle. After collection, transfer of a liquid or solid specimen from the collection bottle to the testing tubes or bottles can also create spills, cause patients or medical personnel to unexpectedly soil themselves, and can increase transfer contamination.
A modification of the collection container design can solve the cumbersome collection process and soiling issues that many individuals experience during collection and transfer for testing.
Several attempts have been made in the field to address the issue and disclose different types of specimen enclosures with fixed handles. For example, U.S. Design Pat. No. D341,421 (R. Shane Jones) shows the ornamental design of a combined wine specimen bottle with a gradient scale, an externally disposed pour spout in the lip of the specimen bottle, a machined-in handle fixedly attached as an extension to the specimen receptacle bottle, and a corresponding cap to cover the specimen bottle and spout. However, the design of the specimen bottle and cap together does not allow for 1) the proper pouring of any liquid samples, 2) ensured sealing of a liquid or solid material sample for mixing or further testing in the receptacle itself, and 3) the ability to detach the handle and process the collected sample without transfer to another testing vehicle.
Additionally, further attempts at addressing the ease and cleanliness of collection have been envisioned with specimen cups and detachable handles. In U.S. Design Pat. No. D357,066 (Timothy B. Jones, et al.), where the ornamental design of a specimen cup and detachable, one-piece handle that is capable of being attached to the cup by a clip socket at a fixed angle for use by the user is taught. Once the handle is attached on top of the clip socket, the handle is immovable until detached. Although this design does attempt to address the need for cleanliness in the collection process, it does not allow the user to adjust to different heights and angles for collection and requires the user to adjust their hand placement on the handle or move their arm to adjust the angle of the cup for collection
Also, the dual-chambered, liquid receiving and retaining device of U.S. Pat. No. 7,195,602 (Yong, et al.) comprises a liquid receiving and retaining body, a detachable top cover and a detachable bottom cover for the receiving and retaining body; a funnel-shaped transverse inner wall dividing the receiving and retaining body into an upper liquid receiving and retaining chamber and a lower liquid receiving and retaining chamber; an annular depending locking flange; an orifice stopper disposed in the lower chamber; an annular, spring-like flexible web formed in the bottom cover; and an unattached handle that engages a T-slot element on the receiving and retaining body, that when attached, becomes fixedly permanent. Again, this attachment does not allow a patient user to variable heights or angles and requires the user to adjust their hand positioning on the handle or move their arm to adjust the angle of the receiving and retaining body for collection.
A further example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,973,678 (Timothy B. Jones) where a specimen container and uniform handle are assembled by the patient and used for collection. Here, once the handle is attached to the specimen container, there is no way to adjust the handle to different heights and angles for collection without patient intervention.
Both female and male patients are currently using the same collection cup. Like many medical tools and equipment it appears that no consideration has been given to provide a collection cup that is best suited for females use. Thus, a need remains for ease and cleanliness in the collection process of urine and solid samples and the ability to mix and test the collected samples in the same receptacle.